Air War over Russia by Andrew Brookes. Ian Allen Publishing (http://www.ianallan.com/publishing), Riverdene Business Park, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG, United Kingdom, 2003, 160 pages, $26.37 (hardcover).
With Air War over Russia, aviation writer Andrew Brookes attempts to provide a thoughtful and reliable operational history of the German-Soviet aerial contest for the enthusiast and general reader. The product of this effort is uninspiring. This copiously illustrated survey rehashes familiar matters: the smashing success of the initial Barbarossa attacks, the debacle of the Stalingrad airlift, the last-ditch bombing campaign in 1944. These are woven together in a sparse narrative of major operations.
The author, like so many, is captivated by German operational virtuosity. Indeed, most of the mere 160 pages are devoted to Nazi operations. The book ends with the summer 1944 defeat of the Luftwaffe, as though the subsequent march of the Red Army to the gates of Berlin is not worth mentioning. Although the book begins by noting the significance of the air war to victory in the East, it makes no effort to explain the relationship of triumph and defeat in the air to the outcome on land, except in vague terms. On the rare occasions when analysis is inescapable, the writer resorts to stock interpretations of the baleful influence of Stalin or Hitler in military decision making. The Germans are judged to have “misused” bombers in the army support role, while the mistakes of the unfortunate Ernst Udet again come to the forefront.
The book’s greatest problems lie not with its concept but in its preparation. The work is based exclusively on secondary English sources. This is a rather slim base, especially in light of the vast literature in German and Russian and the ready availability of microform sources. Furthermore, even where the body of research in English is very valuable, the author does not note the findings of authors, preferring to comb studies for data instead of ideas. He relies heavily on the research and even the words of others, although the debt owed is only quietly acknowledged in the footnotes. Errors, such as reference to the Soviet deputy commander in chief Grigori Zhukov (p. 12) instead of Georgi Konstantinovich, argue for more careful preparation of the text.
Air War over Russia scarcely rises above the mediocre. Enthusiasts and general readers should not grieve too much, for their consolation lies in the still authoritative and very accessible studies of Von Hardesty, Richard Muller, Horst Boog, and Joel Hayward.
Dr. Matthew R. Schwonek
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
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